Nobody is really argueing that consoles have better graphics than PC's. Most of us agree that a PC game will typically blow a console out of the water in the graphics but with that in-mind, how many among the PC crowd (the average gamer) actually has, or can afford a system that can max out game being released today? I know one thing for a fact, 100% of the PS3/Xbox 360 userbase will always have their games maxed out because the code will be optimized for the only hardware profile they are made on. As time goes on, the games will look better and better on a console. The same can't be said for a PC that isn't upgraded. Overtime, the cost of upgrades to keep a PC on the edge of gaming far out weighs the reward. And while yes PC games cost less, $10 more on a console game is generally cheaper than the cost of parts over time on a PC. I paid $600 (at launch) for my PS3. I never have to do anything more to get the best out of my games for it for the next 4-7 years. My PC? The same can't be said in 4-7 years I will have replaced my video card atleast 2 times unless I pay for a top-end card which these days cost just under an Xbox 360 Arcade model. I may have to replace other parts in 4-7 years on my PC as well if I truly want to experience a game at optimal settings either. Like I said, nobody is saying PC gaming sucks, or that the games look better. But in the grand scheme of things, a great looking game on a console (especially in 1080p) more than adequately fills the graphics department and keeps money otherwise spent on PC parts spent on games only (and Xbox Live yearly).
but the used game market for console games is a lot stronger, both for buying and selling. i think it's really sad the industry is killing the PC. i much prefer gaming on my pc, for the better detail, the keyboard and mouse, and the game mods, but i've switched over to almost all PS3 gaming now. between the console exclusives and the crappy ports, pc gaming is in a bad place. if i can get trackmania running under wine, i won't even have a windows pc anymore in a couple weeks.
Completely agree with this. It really is a matter of how important games are to you. More you game, more you buy and as you're saving 15 quid each time you buy a new PC game when compared to a console game this really does add up over the first few years of owning a high end pc. And while you're saving you're getting a much better experience on better hardware, and in general, PC games are better than console games. Most of the big IPs these days are shooters, vast majority first person, and playing first person shooters with a mouse is MILES better than on a controller. And finally, as most tend to make their high end PCs themselves and enjoy doing so, you really do get attached to them. Consoles with their plug and play functionality (while a great selling point for everyone but me) is just so cold, compared to the sense of accomplishment you get after hours of researching every component I put in my PC and the hours spent building it. For that reason alone I think PC gaming will live, us geeks love our hardware too much
allready been down this route and bought myself a 360 but soon got bored of it, playing first person shooters with pad was a chore and frustrating so back on the pc, although i have to say ive tried a couple of fps on the wii and have to say its control system is not bad at all for fps games infact i predict it is the future of console gaming and will be used by sony and microsoft on there next consoles
i think the only choice i have is game on PC because I can't stay away from it. I sit on PC 24-7 do every thing i want to do from playing games to watching Spoiler Pron Console is cool in every thing but not FPS, I'm upgrading my pc for FPS so no problem to play the rest
Console = no keyboard and mouse = fail. Pretty much sums it up for me.... and the fact that they're great when they're new... not so great when you have to wait 5 years for an upgrade.
Keyboard and Mouse in FPS and RTS is a big sticking point. I'll give you that. But the pad works better in most RPGs, shooter games like Geometry Wars, 3rd person games, adventure games, racing, flying and platformers.
Yeah I think you pretty much summed up how I feel there. Alot of the fun for me comes from actually building the PC.
The price point of PC games is starting to become less and less true now, many games (mainly released by EA I've seen) are starting to go to stupid amounts, I remember spore cost me about £30 at release and that was with a reduction on the RRP on play. This year I've bought hardly any exclusive titles for the PC, most of them have been a either crap (such as Spore) or horribly bug ridden (such as Clear Sky), or both. The majority of the time I'm buying smaller, less known games, such as Sins of a Solar Empire or classic games because all the AAA titles are, for the most part, rather generic and boring, this year and last year have just been sequels after sequels. I also don't see the point about a keyboard and mouse being better than a controller for FPSes, I find them perfectly playable with a controller, but that's mainly because I started playing FPSes on the PS2 first. However, they don't work very well at all with a strategy game, KB/M will always be the king of that genre. Oh and point and click, for obvious reasons.
may be wherever you start your gaming, you tend to go back to it and love it. i started on PC with RTS and FPS, thus i still love both, but i can never aim on consoles.
Lanparties, input comfort, space limitations (girlfriend hogging the TV), versatility and the joy of customizable hardware all shift me towards the PC. It's the entire experience, rather then just gaming, that's better on the PC. I spend three nights a week in hotel rooms though, and buying an Xbox for some cheap thrills seems to be an (almost) worthy substitute.
I come at this from a slightly different perspective than most of you, because I'm by no means a gamer - I very rarely play games for more than a few hours a week. I see strong advantages to both systems, but it really comes down to what you want to do. Cost isn't an issue, because I think it roughly balances out. Being a fairly light gamer, I don't feel the need to have the latest and greatest card - I generally own a $100-150 midrange graphics card. That card is the only thing which would be different (cheaper) in my computer if I didn't intend to play games, so the cost of computer gaming is roughly $50-100 for me. That means I can get two or three video card upgrades for the price of a single console; this seems about right to keep the PC performance up for the length of a console generation. What it really comes down to is the type of experience you want. PC games suffer from DRM and occasional compatibility issues, but console games require the disk and so are slightly less convenient to run. Having a mouse and keyboard is magnificent for FPS and necessary for RTS games, so those work quite nicely on the computer. However, with a console, you get to sit back and relax on a couch while you play on the biggest screen and best sound system in the house. Your friends can join in as well; PC gaming is largely solitary and definitely more hardcore than console gaming. This is also why the Wii is so successful - it's creative and interesting, and very enjoyable to play with friends in the same room. Personally, I'm sticking with both. Console games are great for hanging out and playing with friends, and they get me slightly higher image quality and performance than the midrange graphics cards I favor. And I'll continue playing PC games a few months after they're released, for those game types where it's appropriate.
All my FPS shooters are on PC, but everything else is on 360 now. I just can't get use to a stick for aiming!
I think the thing about the PC is also the main availability of Mods for games and also the ability to mod games. I think that eventually through expansion and the evolution of Consoles that they will turn into PCs with components that can be purchased to enhance the graphics, etc.
I've only bought 2 games for the PC this year (and I only bought the 2nd game because it was too cheap to pass up) and I won't be playing either of them until I can afford to upgrade my PC.
Frankly, the realm of console gaming is dead to me. The Wii offers some family fun, movement, and other little things I can do with my wife that does not involving blowing up half a country. More to the point though, there are thousands of things that can be done on a PC that cannot be done (and if attempted, then awkward) on a console! Any sort of modding is almost unbearably cumbersome with a console controller. While someday they may put a USB mouse and keyboard into these things, it still fails considerably on another level. The Red Ring of Death, for instance, on an XBOX is an abomination. I owned my previous computer for 6 years and never once bought a game I couldn't run! Nor did I have any hardware defects. I did perform some upgrades, but they were cheap. I just recently got a 1GB ATI video card for $75, and thing runs everything I want it to run. Xbox fails sometimes within a year and it must be returned and replaced. A PC is generally fixable within days, even the same day if you have the money to buy a replacement part. Then there is the abomination that is the PS3 (LittleBigPlanet was fun, though). I mean how many more hack-n-slash FPS can we possibly create? That is where console gaming fails again. I can play different styles of games on a PC comfortably that would be terribly awkward on a console. The *only* saving grace of the PS3 is that it has a Blu-Ray player (for those who watch movies, I don't). Their price is rediculous for something that offers so little. I don't care about movies, never did. The fact is: consoles will dissipate long before the PC. I've heard the tale of a combination of them. Really? No, the PC will improve to the point where you have one cable going to your monitor, one cable going to your TV and a wireless controller for when you wanna play on your TV. PCs can do everything any console can do and more - and soon enough, it will facilitate all our needs that these two systems lack terribly be it work or gaming. The PC will just display its desktop on the TV, and everything will run beautifully (if Microsoft ever gets its **** together, it may be Apple who takes us to that level).
Fact is: Nobody can really make that call. Although it's opinion it's hard to believe that PC gaming can improve anymore than it has. On the other hand console gaming has improved to the point where it blurs the lines with PC gaming. You've got KB/M with the PS3 (limited but improving) Digital Distribution of Media and Games (All 3), Online gaming and web browsing (PS3/Wii), Media Centers (PS3/Xbox), patches, firmware updates, expansions and modding (PS3's UT3 for modding). All things that used to differentiate the PC Game from a console game is starting to go away. Even the installation has made it's way to consoles (PS3/Xbox). Graphics are the only area I think truly outshyine the console, but even now the consoles have up to par graphics for the average gamer. Wrap all that up in an easy to purchase, easy to setup piece of hardware that typically runs you less than the cost of a PC (no hardware configurations required, no upgrades required until the next generation) and it's hard to see the console going anywhere but up anytime time soon compared to PC.
I have to disagree. The PC is improving all the time, for instance look at the Intel i7, and the new RAM that is being released. I buy a new PC only a 5-6 year cycle, and I never come across something I can't run. Besides that, I can program, network, learn, play, listen, webcast, customize, change settings, and much much more. The console is extremely limiting. It gives one set of a hardware, period. I don't believe that leaves as much creative leeway as it does with a computer where you can push current system specs or back off depending on your target population. Sure, maybe for the less technologically inclined persons a console will reign for a while. But with a generation growing up on PCs, that know how to use PCs, and constantly *work* on PCs the future is clear. I think the writing is on the wall for consoles. I can buy a Blu-Ray player (if I cared for movies) for my PC for like $100-150 and play it on my 50" TV. I don't need anything that the consoles offer, and yet I can do so much more than any console...
